Heel attaching machines



Oct. 6, 1964 R. E. cooMBEs 3,151,331

HEEL lAT'LAcHING MACHINES Filed Sept. '7, 1962 '7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inl/en tol" Robert E Coombas` By his Attorney Filed sept. 7, 1962 R. E. COOMBES HEEL ATTACHING MACHINES 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 6, 1964 R. E. CooMBEs 3,151,331

HEEL. ATTACHING MACHINES Filed Sept. '7, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Och 6, 1964 R. E. cooMBEs 3,151,331

HEEL ATTACHING MACHINES Filed Sept. 7, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 23 flf Oct. 6, 1964 R. E. cooMBr-:s 3,151,331

HEEL ATTACHING MACHINES Filed Sept. '7, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 ch 6, 1964 R E, CooMBl-:s 3,151,331

HEEL ATTACHING MACHINES Filed Sept. 7. 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Egy- IZ SFS /l f//l Oct. 6, 1964 R. E. cQoMBEs 3,151,331

HEEL ATTACHING MACHINES Filed Sept. 7, 1962 '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 j" O I Z 7 Z190 306 302 i United States Patent O 3,151,331 l' IEEL ATTACIIIG MACHINES j p Robert Edward Coombes, Leicester, England, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, New Jersey, a corporation of New .Iersey Filed Sept. 7, 1962, Ser. No. 221,931 Claims priority, application Great Britain Sept. 22, 1961 12 Claims. (Cl. 1-335) The present invention relates to heel attaching machines which are of the general type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,734,191, granted February 14, 1956, on an application tiled in the name of Robert C. Quarmby, and which are improved upon for driving staples as disclosed in an application for United States Letters Patent Serial No. 240,781, led November 29, 1962, in the names of lohn M. Bassford et al.

It is an object of the present invention to provide the prior machines with improved staple feeding and driving mechanism including novel features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration, said invention being fully disclosed in the following description and the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side View, partly in section, of staple inserting means of the illustrative machine, driver bars thereof (only two of three visible) being shown in retracted positions and the staple inserting means being shown as about to receive staples (only one visible) from a loader block forming part of staple transfer mechanism of the illustrative machine;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to the upper part of the staple inserting means shown in FIG. 1 but showing staples in the process of being driven into the heel seat of a shoe and a heel which is clamped against said heel seat;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the staple inserting machine on the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view on the line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows in perspective a head of one of the three driver bars of the illustrative machine;

FIG. 6 shows, partly in side elevation and partly in section, a hopper forming part of staple feeding or supplying means of the illustrative machine;

FIG. 7 is a view, partly in front elevation and partly in section, of the hopper shown in FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are fragmentary views of one of three portions of mechanism of the illustrative machine for.

transferring staples from the hopper to the loader block;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary view of a cam associated with the transfer mechanism, and parts cooperative therewith to operate the selectorsof said mechanism;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view, partly broken away, showing one of three staple orienting devices of which there is one at the bottom of each of three flexible tubular raceways which form part of staple transfer mechanism of the machine;

FIG. 13 shows, partly in side elevation and partly in section, the orienting devices illustrated in FIG. 12 and also shows in longitudinal median section portions of a foot plate to which the orienting devices are screwed and a nailing die which is in staple receiving position below the foot plate;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing a modified staple orienting device and a modified footV plate to which said device is secured; and

FIG. 15 shows, partly in side elevation and partly in section, the foot plate and orienting device illustrated in ice FIG. 14, and also shows in a staple receiving position beneath the orienting device and the foot plate a portion of a loader block which is generally similar to the loader block shown in FIG. 13.

A shoe support of the illustrative machine comprises a work supporting head (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) an upper portion or nailing die 122 of which is shaped to conform generally to the inside of a heel end of a shoe. A positioning plate 124 having a rearwardly extending skirt 126 that embraces a at upper surface of the porton 122 of the head 120 is slidably mounted for initial adjustment on the portion 122, said positioning plate being held in place by a cover plate 123 which is secured to said head by screws 125 (FIG. 3). The positioning plate 124 is adjustable by means of a hand screw 128 which is threaded into the upper portion 122 of the work supporting head 120 and is rotatably mounted in a depending ear 130 of the plate. By turning the screw 128, the skirt 126 of the positioning plate 124 can be adjusted to facilitate the positioning of a heel H of a ladys shoe L on the work supporting head 120 for the heel attaching operation. During the operation of the machine the heel H is forced against the heel seat of the shoe by clamps 131 forming part of a clamping head such as disclosed in patent No. 2,734,191.

Within the upper portion 122 of the head 120 of the illustrative machine are three inclined guideways or passages, a rear one 132 and two side ones 134. The rear passage 132 is shaped and arranged to accommodate a staple S, as will be hereinafter described, in such a manner that the bridge or closed end of the staple lies transversely of the central plane of the head 120 while the passage is inclined at 35 to the vertical. Median planes of the guideways of the passages 134 are inclined at angles of 105 (FIG. 3) to the central plane of the guideway or passage 132 and at 20 to the vertical (FIG. 4).

Slidable in the rear guideway or passage 132 is a driving head 136 (FIG. 5) of a driver 138, the head being pivoted to a driver bar or link 14) at 142. The driving head 136 has a part cylindrical body portion 144 (FIG. 5) and a flat driving portion, provided with a groove 146 adapted to engage a staple, the two portions being joined by a neck 148. The rear guideway 132 is complementally shaped to guide the head 136 as it slides to and fro between a retracted position shown in FIG. 1 and an advanced or projected position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the guideways 134, driving heads 150 of drivers 152 are also slidable, and are similar in shape to the driving head 136 except that upper parts of their body portions are shallower. the grooves 146 of the three heads 136, 150, 150 when in their uppermost, advanced, positions in the head 120 are shown in FIG. 3. The driving heads are pivoted at 154 (FIG. 4) to driver bars or links 156.

The driver bars 140, 156, 156 pass'through openings (not shown) in the head 120 and enlarged hemispherical lower end portions of the bars 156 are received in sockets 158 in an upper ange 162 of a plunger 160. An en'- larged hemispherical lower end portion of the bar 140 is received in a socket 163 in a block 164 supported by a screw 166 threaded upwardly through a depending boss 167 on the flange 162. A cover plate 168 secured to the plunger maintains the lower end portions of the driver bars 140, 156 in their respective sockets 163, 153. The screw 166 enables the `heightwise position of the driver 138 to be adjusted with relation to the drivers 1.52 when under thrust from the plunger 160 and thus affords independent control of the depth of drive into the shoe bottom of the rearmost staple. Y

The plunger 160 is raised by power in the operation of the illustrative machine and lowered by a return spring The relative positions of 170 which bears against the flange 162 of the plunger and is housed in a closed-ended bore 172 in the worksupporting head 120. Means for adjusting the uppermost position reached by the plunger 169 in an operative cycle of the illustrative machine is provided in the plunger driving mechanism (not shown) to afford control of the depth of drive of the staples at the sides of the shoe bottom. n

Channel portions or staple guides 18) (FIGS. 2 and v3) of the guideways 132, 134 in which slide the parts of the driving heads 138, 152 with the staple-'engaging grooves 146 are of a dimension allowing free passage of staplesY therealong while yet closely controlling their disposition. `:Into the staple guides 180, the staples slide from a transfer mechanism comprising a loader blockV 162 (FIGS. 1 and 1Q) constructed and arranged to operate in the same manner as that described in the aforementioned application Serial No. 240,781 but with staple guiding slots 184 (only one Vshown in FIG. l) that aline with the channeled portions 180 of therguideways 132, 134 of the work-supporting head of the illustrative machine. The loader block 132 thus slides to and fro between a loading or staple receiving position (FIG. l) and its staple delivering position (FIG. 1) in the operation of the illustrative machine, receiving, at each cycle,v three staples, legs upward, from a foot plate 192 (FIGS. 10 and 13) to which lead staple delivering mechanism which is hereinafter described and comprises flexible tubular raceways or tubes 190.

Above and to the rear of the foot plate 192 ofthe illustrative machine is mounted a hopper 194 (FIGS. 6, 7 and l0) which, when the illustrative machine is in use, contains a supply of staples S. A iloor 196 of the hopper is provided with a -base 198 and is in the shape of the lower half of Va cylinder lying on -a horizontal axis; the hopper also comprising a lid Ztltl hinged to the base at 262. A shaft 2ll4 journaled in the base lies on the axis of the floor 196 and isV arranged to be driven step-by-step in steps of 90 by a Geneva mechanism. The Geneva mechanism` consists of a radially slotted wheel 266 and a driving device 2tlg having two rolls 209 to engage slots in the wheel and two quadrants 211 to cooperate in the reentrant arcuate portions 213 of the wheel between the slots and hold the wheel still at intervals. The driving device 268 has a shaft 214 carrying a pulley 216 which is driven continuously by a belt 216 from a pulley 212 while the illustrative machine is in use, the shaft 214 being supported by bearings in the base 198 and in a bracket 218 secured to the base. j

The wheel 266 is keyed to the shaftj204 and held in position by a screw 220. Also keyed to the shaft 264,V

within the 'hopper 194, is a driving member 22,2. Gn a hub of the member 222 is freely mounted a coupling 224 carrying a pin 226 that projects into a wide slot 22? formed in the member 222. Grub screws 230 threaded through ears of the member 222 bounding the slot 22S engage the pin at opposite sides and enable ne adjustment to be effected between the relative radial positions of the member222 and the coupling 224. The coupling 224 is keyed at 232 axially of the shaft to one of three sleeves 234 likewise 'keyed together at 233. The sleeves 234, which may be a single sleeve, are not lkeyed to the shaft 204 itself but by virtue of their axial keying together and with the coupling 224 and the driving connection by the pin 226 `between the coupling and the drive member 222, the sleeves are constrained to rotate with the shaft; axial movement along the 'shaft 264 being prevented by the bearings in the base 198.

Each of the three sleeves 234 carries a four-armed pick-up plate 240, the ends of the arrnsbeing curved to conform to, and pass just clear of, the hopper licor 126 as the shaft 264 rotates clockwise (F166). Trailing faces 242 of the arms 24! are straight, the'leading faces t 243 of said arms being-concavely curved.

At the front of the hopper 194 of the illustrative 'machine are three rectangular apertures 244 which are arranged side-by-side in the base 193 and are spaced to aline with the plates 240. Extending into the apertures, and inclined downwardly therefrom, are three guide bars 246 which are straddled by the staples S and serve as raceways therefor. Ends 248 (FlG. 6) of the guide bars 246 within the apertures 244 are curved in conformity with the hopper floor, upper faces 25@ of the bars down which the staples can slide being spaced at 252 from the tops of the apertures by such distance as to allow only one staple at a time to pass through. When the illustrative machine is in use, as the plates 240 rotate step-by-step, the arms of the plates sweep the hopper oor and pick up some of the staples. The plates 24? are arranged to pause between the steps at positions in which the faces 242 of the arms of the plates are brought successively into alinement (or very slightly above alinement) with the faces 250 of the guide bars 246, with the result that the staples S picked up thereby can slide through the apertures and down said bars 246. Final adjustment of this alinement is aiforded by the use of the screws 23d. Inserts 253 on the plates 24) at the ends of their arms are broader than the rest ,of the plates and are the sarne width as the guide bars 246 to assist the flow of staples to the bars.

The guide bars 246 are mounted on a bracket 254 which also carries a cross head 256. Pivotally mounted upon the cross head 256 me three selectors 253 (only one shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) against which the staples S falling down the guide bars 246 from the hopper 194 come to rest. Each selector 258 has a face 257 (FIGS. 8 and 9) provided with a lower edge 259 (part of which is arcuate) from which, along about one-half its length, a lip 260 projects, the arrangement being such that by rocking theselector anticlockwise (as viewed in FIG. 7) about an axis 261 from the position shown there and in FIG. 8 to the position shown Iin FIG. 9, a staple- S falls from the selector (against a face 263 of the tip 266 of which yit has been resting) down the guide bar 246 while remaining staples on the bar are held back by the face 257 of .the selector. When the selector 258 is rocked back (that is clockwise as viewed in FIG. 7) the staples fall (by the 4thickness of one staple) and come to rest with a leading one against the face 263 of the lip 260. Thus, one staple is `released on each guide bar each time the selectors rock once to and fro. l

Each of the selectors 258 may be described as being journaled for movement about an axis 261 between a retracted position (FIGS. 7 and 8) and a projected position (FIG. 9). The selector may also be said to comprise a Viirst face 263 disposed at right angles to the axis 261 and adapted to be engaged lby a leading staple of: a line of staples on the bar 246 whereby to vretain said line of staples against movement on said bar, yand a second face 257 which is olfset lengthwise of and about said axis of said lirst vface and is adapted, when the selector is in its retracted position, to 'allow the staples to slide down the bar until the leading staple engages said irst face, said tirst face 263 being moved out of Y to release the leading staple Afrom the bar, said second face at this time being adapted Vto move into engagement with the staple, which is arranged next to said leading staple, whereby to retain such staple and the line of staples following itin their rest positions Yon the bar.

The selcctorsl256 are connected together by a link 262 pivoted to each selector, the left-hand one of the selectors 25S carrying a ball-ended arm 264 which is universally coupled to a Vvertically.disposed rod 266. At its lower end, the rod 266 is coupled to a lever 268 (FIGS. 10 and 11) pivoted at 269 to a frame portion of the machine. The lever 268 has a Vflat face 276 arranged to cooperate with a flat side of an arm 272Y freely hanging from the pivot 269. rThe arm 272 hangs in the path of movement of a cam 274 on a slide 276 which/carries the loader block 182 of the transfer mechanism. The arrangement is such that when the slide 276 carries, as disclosed in Patent 2,734,191, the loader block 182 from the loading or staple receiving position to its staple deliver-ing position (FIG. 1) above the nailing die 122, the arm 272 rocks idly anticlockwise (viewing FIG. 11) on the pivot 269 as the cam 274 passes, but when the slide returns, and just before it comes to rest, the arm 272 is rocked by the cam against the face 270 of the lever 268, thereby rocking the lever and pulling down the rod 266 which in turn causes the three selectors 258 to rock anticlockwise (from positions as shown in FIG. 8 to positions as shown in FIG. 9) thereby releasing three staples S down the guide bars 246. The cam 274 travels far enough on the return stroke of the slide 276 to clear the arm 272 (FIG. 10) which falls away and allows the rod 266 to rise under the inuence of a spring 277 acting on the lever 268, which is brought to rest against a stoppin 279.

As the staples S fall down the bars 246 from the selectors 258 in the operation of the illustrative machine, their legs come into engagement with abutrnents or upper edges 280 (FIG. 6) of guide blocks 282 provided with passages 284 down which the staples fall head iirst having tripped, so to speak, over the edges 280. From the guide blocks 282, the staples fall freely down the three flexible tubular raceways 190 to the above-mentioned foot plate 192. The foot plate 192 is fixed to the frame of the machine and comprises three tubular orienting devices 288 (FIGS. 10, l2 and 13) each comprising a metal sleeve or tube 290.

The foot plate 192 is generally similar to the foot plate (28) disclosed in said application Serial No. 149,370 and has secured in predetermined positions to it the orienting devices 288. Each of the orienting devices 288 is housed in and comprises the metal sleeve or tube 290 over the upper end of which :tits one of the exible tubes 190, said metal tube resting upon a flange 281 of a base of the orienting device. The orienting devices 288 also comprise a pair of abutments 292, 294 and a slot 283 which has a width and length slightly greater than the thickness and the breadth respectively of the staple S accommodated, said slot 283 being in vertical register with a slot 285 which is formed in the foot plate 192 corresponds to the slot (26) of the foot plate (28) disclosed in application Serial No. 240,781.

The lower halves of the abutments 292, 294 of the orienting devices 288 are provided with opposing vertical faces 289, 291 respectively forming in combination with the metal tube 290 slots 293 which are located above and are continuous with the aforesaid slots 283. The abutments 292, 294 of each of the orienting devices 288 extend above the slots 293 and have formed on them V-shaped edges 29S and a face 297 respectively adapted to be engaged by the closed ends of the staples S and to rotate them about their longitudinal axes respectively into the slot 293. It will be noted that the slot 293 has opposed longitudinal cylindrical portions 299, 301 (FIGS. 12 and 13) which are incidental to the manufacture of the orienting devices, said concave portions being the result of a preliminary boring job which facilitates the forming of the above-mentioned slots 283 and 293. The lower ends of legs of the V-shaped edges 295 are continuous with and are arranged above the faces 289 of the abutment 292, an apex of the V-shaped edge 295 being arranged uppermost and adjacent to one side wall portion of the rigid tube 290.

As the staple S falls from the ilexible tube 190 and into the rigid tube 290 the closed end of the staple engages one or the other of the legs of the V-shaped edge 29S of the abutment 292 and this causes the staple to be rotated about its longitudinal axis so that'its `general plane will be arranged generally parallel to theA faces 289 of the abutment, the closed end of the staple thereafter engaging the face 297 of the abutment 294 which cooper- 6 ates with the faces 289 of the abutment 292 in the guiding of the staple into the slot 283.

The abutments 292, 294 may be described as having their upper end portions arranged above and at opposite sides of the slot 293 and as having downwardly converging portions 295, 297 adapted by reason of their staggered relation lengthwise of the tube 290 to be engaged successively by closed ends of the staples whereby to rotate the staples to facilitate their entry into the slot 293. The abutment 292 may also be said to have V-shaped edges 295 legs of which are continuous with and are arranged above side walls 289 and an apex of which is uppermost and arranged adjacent to one side wall portion of the rigid tube 290. The beveled orienting face 297 of the abutment 294 may be described as being arranged opposite the lower ends of the legs of the legs of the V-shaped edge 295 of .the abutment 292 and as projecting downwardly from an opposite side Wall portion of the tube and as terminating at the upper end of the side wall or face 291 of the slot 293.

FIGS. 14 and 15 disclose an orienting device 302 which is slightly different from the orienting device disclosed in FIGS. 12 and 13. In the modified construction an upper portion of a metal sleeve or tube 304 is received in a lower end portion of one of the flexible tubes 190. The lower portion of each sleeve 304 rests upon a ange 306 of the orienting device 302, there being accommodated within the lower end portion of the tube 304 split portions or abutments 308, 310 of the orienting device 302. A slot 312 is formed between the abutments 308, 310, said slot having a width and length slightly greater than the thickness and the breadth respectively of the staple S so that the staple falling therethrough, is properly oriented about a vertical axis of the tube 304. The orienting device 302 which comprises the tube 304 is accommodated in a bore 314 in a foot plate 316 and is secured therein by screws (not shown).

The staple S falling through the slot 312 drops into a passage 318 of a loader block 320 preparatory to the transfer of the three staples resting on a shutter 322 associated with the block to the nailing die 122 as disclosed in detail in Patent No. 2,734,191. It will be noted that the loader block 320 is somewhat thicker than the loader block 182 which is like the loader block (42) shown in application Serial No. 240,781, in view of the fact that the entire staple has to enter the passage 318 (see dash line staple FlG. 15) before swinging into its full line angular position in said passage.

The abutments 308, 310 are generally similar to the abutments 292, 294, the main difference being that the upper face of the abutment 310 is arranged just above the flange 306 whereas the face 297 of the abutment 294 is located a substantial distance from its associated angey In an operating cycle of the illustrative machine, the operator, after placing the heel portion of the shoe L over the head and placing a heel H (FIG. 2) on the heel seat of the shoe, depresses a treadle (not shown) of the machine which first causes the clamps 131 to force the heel against the heel seat of the shoe and then causes the plunger to drive the staples S which have squarecut legs into the heel and heel seat of the shoe. The portions of the guideways 132, 134 and the grooves 146 in the driving heads 136, 152 afford close control for the staples S as they are driven, the angle of drive andthe square ends of the staples reducing to a minimum any risk of splitting the plastic material of the heel. On releasing the treadle, the plunger 160v retracts, thevheel clamps 131 are raised, and the operator removes the shoe from the machine. Mechanism described in Patent No. 2,734,191 thereafter becomes operative automatically after the release ofthe treadle to cause the slide 276 of the transfer mechanismof fthe illustrative machine to carrythe loader, block 182 to its staple delivering position above the nailing die 122, the staples being released from said block by the withdrawal of the shutter 322 (FIG. or the shutter 322 (FIG. 1) from beneath the associated loader block.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Ln a heel attaching machine, a device for orienting in a delivery tube a U-shaped staple, which is falling closed end down said tube, about its axis, said device being arranged in said tube and comprising a pair of abutment spaced by a slot which is slightly wider than the thickness of the material of the staple and extends lengthwise of the tube, upper end portions of the abutments being arranged above and at opposite sides of the slot and having upper faces respectively which converge downwardly in opposite directions toward each other and are adapted 'to be engaged successively by a closed end of the staple whereby to rotate the staple and to cause it to enter the slot.

2. In a machine for operating upon shoes, a device for orienting in a delivery tube, a U-shaped staple falling closed end down said tube, said device comprising a guide slot having a width deiined by vertical side walls spaced apart by a distance slightly greater than the width of the staples, a vertical guide face which extends above and is substantially continuous with one of said side walls of the slot, a deiiector edge which has the general outline of a V and which extends upwardly and backwardly from the vertical guide face and terminates in an apex adjacent to one side wall portion of the tube, and a beveled face which is arranged opposite the lower end of the vertical guide face and projects downwardly from an opposite side wall portion of the tube and terminates at the upper end of the other side Wall of the slot.

3. In a heel attaching machine, a plurality of iiexible tubes down which U-shaped staples fall closed ends first, a plurality of rigid tubes continuous with the exible tubes, a staple orienting device which comprises and is housed in the lower end of each of the rigid tubes, a loader block having a plurality of staple receiving passages and movable to and from a staple receiving position, each of said devices comprising a slot which is defined by vertical side walls, said slot having a width and length slightly greater than the thickness and the breadth respectively of the staple and being arranged respectively above opposite a passage of the loader block when said block is in its staple receiving position, each of said drivers also cornprising a pair of staple deiiector faces which converge downwardly toward each other and are arranged at opposite sides of the tubes and are staggered lengthwise of the tubes and which are successively contacted by the closed ends of the staples to guide said staples into the slot.

4. In a heel attaching machine, a device for orienting in a delivery tube a Ueshaped staple falling closed end iirst down said tube, said device being housed in said tube and comprising a pair of orienting abutments, the lower ends of which are spaced apart by a slot which is defined by parallel walls and has a width and length slightly greater than the thickness and breadth respectively of said staple, one of said abutments having an orienting portion which extends backwardly and upwardly from one side wall o the slot and the other of said abutrnents having vertical guide faces which extend a substantial distance above the orienting portion of said one abutment and are in alinement with the other side wall of the slot, said other abutment having a V-shaped orienting edge, legs of which extend upwardly and baclrwardly from said vertical guide faces and meet at an apex, one or more Yof said orienting Vedges being adapted to be eny gaged by the closed end of the staple as itfalis down the tube whereby to turn said staple about its axis therebyvcausing it,` to fall' between said vertical guide face and said orienting face with the result that the staple is 1 guided into the slot. l

5. Ina heel attaching machine, a pluralityY of tubes down which U-shaped staples fall closed ends irst, a device for orienting the staples in each of the tubes, each of said staple orienting devices comprising a pair orr edges which are arranged in one lateral half of the tube and converge upwardly and toward an adjacent inner side Wall of the tube, a vertical guide wall extending downwardly from each of said edges, an orienting face which is arranged in the other lateral half of the tube opposite a lower end of said vertical guide wall and which is spaced by a staple receiving slot from said vertical guide wall and extends backwardly away from said guide wall as it extends upwardly, said staple receiving slot being defined by parallel side walls one of which extends down- Wardly from and is a continuation of said vertical guide walls and the other of which extends downwardly from the lower end of said orienting face, one or more of said edges being adapted to be engaged by the closed end of the staple falling down the tube to rotate, if necessary, the staple as it falls down the tube whereby to move the closed end of the staple into a position in which it is arranged approximately breadthwise along the vertical guide Walls, said orienting face being adapted to cooperate with said vertical guide walls in guiding the closed end of the staple into the slot, and a loader block having a plurality of staple receiving passages and movable to and from a staple receiving position in which its passages are in alinement with the slots and receive staples dropped into and through said slots.

6. In a heel attaching machine, a nailing die having an upper face adapted to be engaged by the heel end of an insole of a shoe and having staple receiving passages the upper ends of which terminate at said upper face, a shoe positioning member which has a skirt surrounding the upper end of the nailing die and has a face in alinement with the upper face of said die, said skirt being adapted to be engaged by the margin of the counter portion of the shoe to position said shoe on the nailing die, and means for moving the shoe positioning member into different operating positions of the die.

7. In a heel attaching machine, a nailing die having a rear passage and side passages which passages are arranged in converging relation and are adapted to receive staples, a rear driver and side drivers movable respectively in the rear and side passages of the nailing die and adapted to be engaged by staples respectively delivered to said passages, a driver head, means for operatively connecting the driver head to the drivers, means for initially moving non-rotatably the rear driver into different operating positions with relation to the driver head, means for` positioning a shoe on the nailing die, and means for clamping a heel against the heel seat of the shoe, the driver head being operative to cause the drivers to be moved in the passages of the nailing die whereby to drive the staples, which are in said passages, in converging relation into the heel seat of the shoe and into the heel.

8. In a heel attaching machine, a nailing die adapted to receive a shoe, against a heel seat of which a heel has been forced, and having a rear passage and side passages which are arranged in converging relation and are adapted to receive staples, rear and side drivers movable along said rear and side passages respectively of the nailing die and adapted to be engaged by staples respectively delivered to said passages, a power operated driver head movable in a rectilinear path toward and away from the nailing die, side links for operatively connecting respectively the side drivers to the driver head and movable n response to movement of the driver head to drive the side staples in said passages into the heel seat of the shoe and into the heel, and Ya rear link operatively connected to the rear driver, the driver head comprising a thrust block whichissecnred to and is.initially'adjustablerwith relation to the driver head and is, adapted in response to moyetnentof the driver head to operate said rear link Vwhereby to cause the rear driver to drive the rear staple intorthe heel seat of the shoe-and into the heel to Van extent depending upon the initial setting of the block on the driver head.

9. In a heel attaching machine, a nailing die provided with a work supporting face and rear and side staple receiving passages which terminate at said face, a rear driver and side drivers which are slidable respectively in said rear and side passages of the nailing die and are adapted to be engaged by staples delivered to said passages, a plunger movable in a rectilinear path disposed at right angles to the work supporting face of the nailing die, side links for operatively connecting respectively the plunger to the side drivers, said plunger comprising a thrust block which is initially adjustable on the plunger, and a rear link which is operatively connected to the rear driver and to the thrust block, said driver head being movable to operate the side links whereby to drive the staples in the side passages to a iixed predetermined depth into the heel seat of the shoe and into the heel and also to operate said rear link whereby to drive the staple in the rear passage into the heel seat of the shoe and into the heel to a depth dependent upon the setting of the thrust biock on the plunger.

l0. In a heel attaching machine, a nailing die having a face adapted to 'oe engaged by the heel end of an insole of a shoe, clamps operative against a heel to force it against a heel seat of the shoe, said nailing die having a rear passage and side passages which are arranged in converging relation and are adapted to receive staples, a rear driver movable in said rear passage, side drivers respectively movable in said side passages, a plunger movable in a rectilinear path disposed at substantially right angles to said face of the nailing die, a rear link operatively connected to the plunger and to the rear driver, side links operatively connected to the plunger and to the side drivers, and means for initially adjusting the operating position of the rear driver with relation to the plunger.

1l. In a heel attaching machine, a nailing die provided with a work supporting face and a rear passage and side passages which passages terminate at said face and each of which has a staple receiving portion and a guide portion, a rear driver slidable in said rear passage, side drivers slidable respectively in the side passages, each of said drivers comprising a driver portion adapted to fit slidingly in a staple receiving portion of an associated passage and comprising a laterally offset bearing portion adapted to tit slidingly in the guide portion of the associated passage, a plunger movable in a rectilinear path disposed at approximately right angles .to the work supporting face of the die, a rear link operatively connecting the rear driver to the plunger, side links operatively connecting the side drivers to the plunger, and means for initially adjusting the operating position of the rear driver with relation to the piston.

12. In a heel attaching machine, a hopper comprising a housing which is adapted to hold staples and has a plurality of apertures, guide bars extending respectively into said apertures, a plurality ofpicker plates intermittently rotatable in the hopper and adapted to deliver staples to the guide bars with the staples hanging by their closed ends on said bars and with legs of the staples straddling said bars, a plurality of transfer tubes arranged respectively at the lower ends of the bars, a selector for simultaneously releasing a leading staple of a line of staples on each or" the 1oars and for retaining the remaining staples on the bars against movement, a loader block' having staple receiving passages, an abutment at, the

lower end of each of the guide bars adapted to engage the lower ends of the legs of the staples causing them to be delivered closed ends down into the associated tube,

means comprising devices at the lower end of the tubesk respectively for orienting the staples and for delivering them into the passages of the loader block, a nailing die having passages, said loader block being movable between a staple receiving position below the orienting devices and a staple delivering position in which the `passages of the loader block are arranged above and in alinement with the passages of the nailing die, means for positioning'a shoe on the nailing die, and means associated with the nailing die for driving the staples, which are in the passages of the nailing die, into the heel seat of the shoe and into the heel whereby to attach the heel to the shoe. v

References Cited in the iile of this patent ,UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,926,147 Gouldbourn Sept. 12, 1933 1,964,004 MacKenzie June 26, 1934 2,162,798 Brandt June 20, 1939 2,208,759 Gualtiere July 23, 1940 2,489,764 Efgen Nov. 29, 1949 2,970,370 Weaver Feb. 7, 1961 

1. IN A HEEL ATTACHING MACHINE, A DEVICE FOR ORIENTING IN A DELIVERY TUBE A U-SHAPED STAPLE, WHICH IS FALLING CLOSED END DOWN SAID TUBE, ABOUT ITS AXIS, SAID DEVICE BEING ARRANGED IN SAID TUBE AND COMPRISING A PAIR OF ABUTMENT SPACED BY A SLOT WHICH IS SLIGHTLY WIDER THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE MATERIAL OF THE STAPLE AND EXTENDS LENGTHWISE OF THE TUBE, UPPER END PORTIONS OF THE ABUTMENTS BEING ARRANGED ABOVE AND AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SLOT AND HAVING 